Macross Station
by Hydriatus
Summary: Frontier was but one of many colonisation fleets...
1. I: A Dream That Will Go Far!

Chapter One: A Dream That Will Go Far!

"This is Talon 1. All units, proceed as planned," the Ensign communicated as his fighter crashed back into reality, the rest of his flight swiftly forming up around him in a v formation, Talon 2 on his left, 4 and 5 on his right, and 3 bringing up the rear behind him.

"Roger!" chorused his flight, their movements perfectly synchronised as they banked to their left and dived.

Sitting in his VF-17, the Ensign nodded to himself in satisfaction as the rest of Talon team kept pace effortlessly with him. "All Talons, today we prove _Eternus_' superiority," said the man emotionlessly, lining up the target in his sights, watching it grow ever larger as his squadron approached it.

* * *

"Goddammit!" swore Clyde, viciously kicking a can across the plaza. "I can't believe Professor Izashima had the nerve to make us do a hundred thousand word essay on Ancient Merica!" he ranted angrily, pacing back and forth in annoyance.

"Well what did you expect?" asked Jack, lying on the low wall decorating the upper tier of the plaza and staring at the blue sky. "He probably would have given us a fifty thousand word essay if you hadn't wrecked his car last week."

Flushing slightly, Clyde rounded on his friend. "For the last time, that wasn't my fault! Egare pulled in front of me out of nowhere!"

Sighing, Jack sat up rubbing his head, messing up his brown hair. "Fine, forget I said anything," he replied, jumping off the wall next to Clyde. "Might as well head home, we need to get started on that essay sooner or later," he added, laying a calming hand on his friend's shoulder. The blonde took a calming breath and held it, nodding before letting it all out in a wheezing sigh.

"Yeah, you're right. Might as well really," concurred Clyde as the two boys headed off, walking slowly into the crowds filling the streets. It was late afternoon, so everyone was heading back home after school or work.

"So how's your sister? Feeling better?" enquired Jack as the pair walked amidst the throngs of people, heading back towards the residential sector. They were currently in the commercial hub of the city, walking past advertisements and stores selling a wide variety of goods and services.

The blonde next to him stared at the sky as they walked along, seemingly lost in thought before answering. "She's fine. Still enthusiastic as ever though. Damn near landed me in hospital went I went to visit her," he replied, smiling slightly at the memory.

"Heh, still hugs like a bear does she? How many ribs did you break this time?" laughed Jack, knowing all to well the lethality of one of Claire's hugs.

"Hey! None!" Clyde snapped back. "I've grown used to them! It's not like the old days!"

"Back when you used to cry you mean?" replied Jack snidely, running ahead.

"You bastard!" swore Clyde, giving chase.

* * *

"Honestly Kat, you should try something else for a change," commented Lou suddenly serious, inspecting the other girl intently.

"Eh? What do you mean? My clothes are fine!" protested the girl with the blue hair. "Besides, all YOU ever seem to be wearing is that creepy gothic stuff!" she pointed out, indicating the blonde girl's choice of attire, which consisted of black shorts and a small black top with bat wings displayed on the back. And of course black gloves which went up to her elbows and matching boots which went all the way to her knees.

"Kat, black never goes out of style! Unlike your plain blue," countered Lou, putting her hands on her hips in exasperation.

"But it's my lucky colour…" Katsako said quietly, looking down in embarrassment as they continued to stand on the pavement outside of a clothes store. Lou sighed in defeat.

"Alright, what about shades of blue? That'll give you some variety whilst retaining the colour. How about that?" she suggested as a compromise.

"I suppose that would be ok…" ventured Katsako, looking up with a half smile at the closest thing she had to a friend. Lou grinned at her as she winked and latched onto her arm, pulling her towards the store.

"Perfect! Now we'll just-"

"Coming through ladies!" warned Jack as he sidestepped the pair before continuing his dash down the street. Katsako and Lou stared at the boy as he vanished from sight, before stepping away from each other to clear a path. Surely, a second later Clyde ran past in furious pursuit.

The girls watched him too vanish down the road, before turning to each other and sharing an exasperated sigh. The two most volatile guys in class were at it again from the looks of things.

* * *

"All units, scramble for takeoff! Clearance has been granted, so go as soon as you're ready!" buzzed the voice through the intercom, audible over the sounds of flurried activity as people ran around in the hangars, jumping into craft or finishing off maintenance.

Sitting in his blue fighter craft, easily distinguishable from the chequered pattern on its tail fins, Warrant Officer Peten Falson ran his hands over the controls fondly before glancing down at the technicians below. "Got her ready yet?" he shouted to be heard over the rising din of engine noise. The lead technician looked up at him and waved the all clear as he and his crew scattered in all directions to give Peten room to start.

"Jester, clear for launch!" reported Peten, flipping the ignition switches in his SF-16, feeling the machine vibrate as energy flooded its engines. Humming a piece of classical music to himself, he increased the output of his engine to minimum, his craft moving forwards towards the catapults lined up all down one half of the hanger.

"Jester, catapult one is green lighted, proceed with launch," a voice over his helmet speaker informed him.

"Understood," he replied, steering his fighter to the designated catapult, feeling it locking in place as his fighter sagged slightly as he retracted the wheels. A hiss marked the raising of the catapult into the airlock. With a clang it disengaged from the elevator, and the air was pumped out. Peten tightened his grip on the control sticks, steeling himself for what was to come. Slowly, the pristine white of the airlock fell away around him, his machine floating in space before the catapult locked in place, leaving him staring at a runway stretching away down the hull of the carrier.

With a warning buzz, the hazard lights lining the strip switched from yellow to green, and Peten hit the afterburners, throwing his engine output into maximum. With a silent roar, he was thrown forward as the catapult released him, blasting into space, behind him the airlock already closing in preparation of launching another fighter.

"This is Jester, I'm out," he reported, swinging his fighter around and flying back over the launch area protectively. "Taking up guarding position at the launch pads."

"Roger that Jester. Hades and Orion are heading up as well to provide support," communicated back the operations room. The voice began to say something else but was drowned out by a wash of static.

"Shit!" swore Peten, recognizing the interference for what it was. He glanced about in all directions, trying to find the source as he boosted his engine power and veered away from the launchers. "This is Jester ! All fighters using launch pads three and four, disengage immediately! Enemy attack incoming!" he shouted into his communicator, twisting in his pilot's seat to look back at the rapidly dwindling runways.

A fighter was already out and powering its engines. With a flash of flame, it shot off down the runway, building up speed to escape the gravitational hold of the vessel's mass. A violet beam of energy spat past Peten's craft, striking the still exposed catapult. The entire launcher was engulfed in a vicious blast, tearing open the airlock and exposing the hangar to the void.

Riding the shock wave with almost preternatural ease, the fighter that had just launched rose gently and took up position next to Peten, the star symbol on its fuselage denoting it as Orion.

"Damn it Masayoshi, that was too close!" snapped the red haired man, his hands clutching the controls tightly.

"Perhaps. But that is hardly of any importance right now, right?" asked his wingman, flipping his craft over so his cockpit was right above Peten's. The older pilot looked up and frowned at the smirking youth above him, his uniform a mirror of Peten's own, only missing the distinctive bars of Warrant Officer.

"Cut the chatter you two!" barked their superior, a captain everyone called Barry on account his proper name, Bartholomew, was too damn long to be used during emergency situations. "Catapult one is out of action, and Hades' status is unknown. We're cycling over to catapult four, but that will take time. Until we can put more fighters out, you're our fighter screen, got that?"

"Yessir!" chorused both pilots as they performed a flawless helix manoeuvre to avoid another stab of purple light. "Permission to engage targets!" added Masayoshi, glancing at his sensor screen. Five small contacts closing fast, probably a squadron of fighters.

"Denied at this time," came Captain Barry's reply, crystal clear.

"Sorry, what was that? Permission granted?" queried Masayoshi with a grin, tinkering with his contact equipment, rewarded with random bursts of static, a weather report, and several beeps and clicks.

In the fighter next to him, Peten facepalmed. Typical Orion. With a flare of light the star marked craft sped ahead of him, and he rapidly increased his own speed to catch up. "Dammit. Jester, providing support."

He could almost imagine the younger pilot's face as a reply came through. "Nice of you to join me Scotsman. Let's have some fun!"

"Damn kids," sighed Peten.

* * *

Clyde bent over double, panting heavily. In front of him, supporting himself on a lamppost, was a panting, but grinning, Jack.

"Damn...track...club...mascot..." wheezed Clyde in between gasps for air, leaving Jack to laugh weakly.

"Hey...it's your...own fault for...being out of shape, you know? Shouldn't have spent so much time in the...agricultural club!" countered the brown haired boy in good humour, only to receive a mock punch to the face. "Awww, Clyde that hurt!" moaned the boy, tearing up.

Clyde bit back a groan at his friend's behaviour. They had known each other since primary school, an even back then they already conformed to certain types of student. Jack was the polite, impetuous flirter, and he was the quiet, soft spoken bookworm with an interest in plants. They really had little in common, and barely spoke to one another. Indeed, Jack was one of the boys who used to tease Clyde a lot. But then one day he came up to him with a request.

"What?" he remembered asking, stupefied by the playboys request.

The brown haired child had been glowing red in embarrassment back then, he remembered clearly. Hell, it was one of the memories he was going to treasure until his dying days. "I said, what kind of flowers are truly romantic?"

Biting his lip, the chibi Clyde had pondered that question for a while (no, he had no idea why all his memories of his younger days made him and those he knew back then appear as chibis either). Eventually he bent down an plucked a flower from the little box that was resting next to him, in awaiting to be handed in to Mrs Lorelei Whitehall, their teacher. "Here, try this," he suggested, handing it over.

Jack took the flower and inspected it closely. It was a faint purple, with a blueish tinge, and had five petals around a dark heart. "What is it he asked?"

"A Forget-Me-Not," explained the blonde. "It's said that whoever possess it will never forget their lover." Jack eyed it curiously, and Clyde mustered up the courage to ask. "But...why ask me? Couldn't you get some roses or something?"

His classmate blinked and looked up at him. "Well yeah but those are too cliché, right?" he answered, without any hostility or mocking tone. That took the blonde by surprise, and he quickly nodded to mask his reaction. "Well, thanks for the help, owe you one!" said Jack with his trademark grin, patting him on the shoulder and running towards the school building.

"Hey, who you going to give it to?" he remembered shouting at the last moment.

"Oh, Reina!" was his answer.

Clyde blinked, coming back to the present, finding Jack waving his arms in front of his face in an attempt to gain his attention. "Sorry what?"

The brown haired students arms came to a stop as he frowned. "You zoned out there for a minute, I was wondering if you were ok," he explained, the concern evident in his voice.

"Heh, yeah, I was just reminiscing about that Forget-Me-Not," responded Clyde, smiling at his friend. "And how that turned out."

Jack blushed red at the memories associated with that incident. "H-how was I supposed to know she was allergic?" he spluttered, as Clyde dissolved into laughter.

* * *

"Oh come on out!" snapped Lou in irritation.

"B-but its embarrassing!" wailed Katsako, her head poking out of the curtains leading to the changing room.

Lou snorted as she stood up from the small steel stool, walked up to her friend and wrenched aside the curtains, causing the other girl to squeal in surprise. The blonde clapped her hands together and nodded approvingly. "Now that's more like it!" she complimented.

Katsako stood in front of her, flushing red in embarrassment. She was wearing a pair of denim shorts and a sky blue tank top, which Lou made sure would expose her midriff. "T-this is so indecent!" exclaimed the taller girl, hugging herself. "Plus I'd freeze in this!"

Her blonde friend threw her hands up in exasperation. "Honestly! Do you not want to get a boyfriend or something? You dress sense makes our uniforms seem risque!"

The blue haired girl flinched at that comment.

"Fine, fine! Try this instead then! It's more conservative so you ought to like it!" huffed Lou, throwing something into Katsako's arms before drawing the curtains shut again. She stood there for a while, her foot tapping out the tune playing over the store speakers until Katsako was ready and came out, still blushing slightly. This time she was wearing a simply blue dress that matched her hair.

"What do you think?" she asked, turning on the spot to let her friend see from all angles.

Lou grinned and flicked her a thumbs up. "Perfect!"

* * *

"This is Talon 4. There's two of 'em," reported one of his wingmen.

Talon 1 nodded, his dispassionate face looking down at his own sensors to confirm the reading. He glanced at his fuel reserves. Enough for another twenty minutes at peak performance before he'd have to head back. It would do. "Maintain formation," he ordered.

"Roger," his squadron answered.

With a flick of his wrist, his craft spun about and dived towards the enemy. "Enforcer, engaging," he said, flicking the safeties of his weapons off. There was a ping and his missile screen turned green, an automated cross-hair already seeking out the targets. "Fate weaver, General, you have the flanks."

* * *

Masayoshi managed to get a lock first. "Missiles away!" he declared, slapping the row of buttons lining the right edge of his cockpit. The entire craft seemed to shudder in space as it unleashed its entire stock of missiles at the targets. The projectiles streaked away, curving in their path to soar straight into the enemy formation. The lead three fighters spun and weaved their way through, but the two trailing them had explosions clip their wings, sending them spiralling towards each other to perish in a sudden explosion as they collided.

Peten groaned at his wing mates shameless lack of any sense of ammunition conservation. A warning chime made him reflexively spin his SF, avoiding a stream of laser bolts that streaked down from above. Pulling back on the controls the vista of space spun around him, and he craned his neck to catch a glimpse of his attacker. A gold SF flashed past, leaving Peten with a sense of glitz and tacky decorating. Another chime made him manipulate the controls to switch his SF into battleroid form, spinning in place and firing his rifle at the opponent behind him. Sparks on the golden form proved his aim true, and the fighter spiralled past, tumbling in the void. He smiled in victory as Masayoshi flashed past, being chased by another craft. Switching back into fighter mode, Peten gave chase.

* * *

"What's taking so long?" asked the Captain, removing his cap to wipe the sweat off his brow.

The bridge of the Melody was tense, the few staff present doing their duties to the best of their abilities.

"There was a fuel spill at Catapult 4, they had to clear it up. Angel is ready to launch, but it'll take her another two minutes before she can launch!" reported the an at the console overseeing flight operations.

"What about the enemy?"

"Two fighters are confirmed destroyed, and one has been forced to disengage. Jester and Orion are currently dealing with the other," was his reply.

"That still leaves one unaccounted for," pointed out the Captain, his eyes narrowing as the tactical situation played out over in his mind. If it wasn't dealing with the fighters that meant...

As if on cue, the golden mech appeared in front of the bridge, rifle levelled.

Cries of panic and alarm erupted as people dived for cover, but the Captain knew it was hopeless. He merely gritted his teeth and glared at the machine in front of him, watching its metallic fingers tighten on the trigger.

And then Hades came out of nowhere and tackled the other mech, slamming it into the deck of the Melody. Gripping his opponents head in his hand, the machine slammed it into the ship's hull again and again, chunks of metal and glass floating away from the wreck, glittering like tears.

The bridge erupted in cheers as the VF continued to pound its enemy into the ship itself. Then it was flying away, kicked off by the golden machine as it pushed itself away from the small cruiser, flipping into fighter mode and boosting off, in full retreat.

Barry silently let out the breath he had been holding as he watched Hades stand in front of the bridge protectively, watching his opponent fly away. It turned to the bridge and nodded.

"Convey our thanks to Hades for the support," ordered the Captain, smiling slightly as he too nodded. "And what about the other ships?"

"They're all disengaging now."

He leaned back and sighed. "Recall our fighters. I want catapult 1 repaired in eight hours, understood? And get intel down here to work out what the hell just happened!"

* * *

"Hey, get back here you cowardly dog!" shouted Masayoshi after the retreating craft.

"Let them go. Small fighters like that are carrier based. They were probably just pirates testing us to see if we were a valid target," said Peten, plotting a course back to the Melody.

"A hit and run?"

"Don't worry about it," advised the elder pilot, watching his wing mate fall in behind him as they flew back to their carrier. Pirates were rare, but not unheard of. They tended to employ VFs as their tactical flexibility suited their preferred methods of engagement. Now that their noses had been bloodied they wouldn't come close again. Though the fleet would have to employ a tighter formation to ensure now stragglers were picked off. "Ah damn," he sighed to himself. Brief bouts of excitement punctuating long voyages always got him jumpy. He wouldn't be able to sleep soundly for a week now.

Orion laughed all of a sudden. "Hey look its Howell! Damn that guy made it through that blast like it was nothing after all!"

Peten peered through his cockpit at the Melody, the third member of his flight clearly visible, standing on the Melody as if he owned the damn thing. He laughed as well. "Well they do say he's got the luck to make it through hell itself!"

* * *

Clyde slammed the door shut. "I'm home," he said, scratching the back of his neck as he kicked off his shoes and headed for the stairs leading to his room.

"Yo!" called his father from the kitchen, which was currently issuing black smoke. "The cooker broke down again so mind if we have Chinese today?" he asked, his soot covered head emerging from around the doorway, grinning sheepishly.

"Yeah sure," his soon replied, dragging himself wearily upstairs, opening the door to his room and hurling his school bag onto the floor before slamming the door shut and collapsing onto his bed and groaning. A hundred thousand word essay. That was going to take all of the weekend. He turned his head to look at his desk, the silly little alarm clock decorate din vines his father had got him denoting it to be early evening in glowing green numbers. He rolled over onto his back, uncaring he was creasing his school blazer.

It was going to take him a long time to pay off the damages to Professor Izashima's car as well, even if he was splitting it with Egare. Groaning again, Clyde facepalmed as he sat up, taking off his navy blazer and hanging it off his swivel chair as he got changed into some more mundane clothes.

After a moment of glancing about at what was available, he threw on his trusted standard clothing – white buttoned shirt and black trousers. The blonde took a single look at his school bag before resolving to begin the essay tomorrow, and instead lay down on his bed and flicked his TV on, surfing the channels to get his mind of the depressing weekend coming up.

* * *

"Hahaha, today was fun don't you think so?" laughed Lou as the pair walked back home, each carrying a shopping bag with their purchases.

"Yeah," agreed Katsako, a once her friend has given up on trying to make a spectacle of her, she had enjoyed hanging out with her.

They were walking along the line of residential blocks were most of the populace of the Macross lived. They were ugly but practical buildings, tall grey slabs of concrete. Still here and their she could make out some greenery left out on terraces as somebody tried to brighten up the atmosphere around their home. And on in particular drew her eye, as always. The terrace seemingly bursting with greener, as if a jungle was waiting within. Clyde's. Neither of them understood the boys obsession with vegetation, but he did provide a regular supply of any kind of flower they would require for special occasions.

"Oh right did you hear? They're holding a singing contest!" said Lou gleefully, apparently the sight of Clyde's house reminding her of it for some inscrutable reason. "We should go and try out for that!"

Katsako looked at her friend as if she'd lost all reason and suggested they go dance naked in a cementary. "No!"

"Aw come on, this will be the best way for you to get over that damn shyness! Seriously, its getting on my nerves!" declared Lou boldly, firmly set on the idea.

"I'm not shy, just reserved!" yelled Katsako.

Lou grinned a feline grin as she turned to her friend. "Ohohohoho, just you wait! I'll make sure you enter, and sing too!"

"Louuu!" whined the taller girl, chasing after her cackling friend down the street.

* * *

Back in fold space, Talon 1, aka Enforcer, cursed silently as he removed his helmet, revealing short black hair and cold, dispassionate eyes.

"Prove the superiority of the Eternus my ass," snarled a voice over his communicator, that of General, Zegar. "Serac, when we get back, I'll make sure you pay for your overconfidence today!"

"At least he didn't chicken out after getting his paintwork damaged," interrupted Darkside, callsign Fate weaver. There was no emotion in the voice, but Serac could just see the mocking grin on his brothers face as Zegar exploded.

"WHAT? You accusing me of cowardice you little-"

Serac sighed and cut the link, unwilling to listen to another of Zegar's ego fuelled rants. He leaned back in his seat and stared out at fold space, watching the numerous pretty colours fly by, making his golden fighter seem to shimmer.

* * *

**AN:** Well this is my first foray into Macross, so please don't be too harsh with me! Whilst the series all provide good stories, they do only follow the stories of a select number of characters in what is, to be frank, a galaxy spanning period of history. This story is simply an imagining of what another colonisation fleet may have experienced. Special thanks to the Negima TS for allowing me to reinvent their characters. Reviews are as always, appreciated.


	2. II: Rise Up Girl And Become Legend!

Chapter Two: Rise Up Girl And Become Legend!

The atmosphere in the chamber was quiet and professional, but in no way tense. When setting out on this voyage all of those assembled there knew the risks, and the further they had travelled from the home world without incident, the more worried they became. The law of averages stated that eventually they'd run into something, most probably unfriendly. So now that they had finally encountered a viable threat, the mood was not of concern, but almost gleeful.

Commander Markham leaned back in his seat, the one set at the top of the auditorium, allowing him to look down on the rest of the officials of the colonisation fleet. He threw down the folder he had been reading, the papers spilling over his desk. In the shadows behind him he heard his aide sigh.

"I trust everyone has already read through the necessary information?" he asked, resting his elbows on his desk and interlocking his fingers as he leaned forwards, the light flashing off his eyes.

There were nods all around, so he continued.

"Good, then I trust everyone recognizes the threat presented to us?" he asked, sweeping his gaze across the chamber, noting the people present. Most of the higher echelon military staff were present, along with some representatives from the President's office.

"Sir, the Eternus is nothing more than a scout ship. Regardless of its configuration, no ship can take on a fleet," offered a lieutenant opposite him, several tiers lower. Some of the officers nodded, others looking to the commander to gauge his reaction.

Markham nodded, his aide quietly coming up next to him and reaching over to collect the scattered papers, muttering silently. "Indeed. But we cannot forget that Eternus has been lost to us for nearly a decade now. We are in no position to estimate its strength. It may be nothing more than a wreck, with a single fighter squadron left to identify easy pickings. Or it could be a highly advanced warship by now, with a full logistical structure supporting it. The only thing we can be sure of it is its stance in regards to us. Despite our IFF and broadcasts, the fighters came on with nothing but hostility in mind," said Markham quietly, his voice carrying in the still, recycled air of the auditorium. Whilst he was merely reiterating the information given in the report, hearing it aloud seemed to make the fact solid and concrete in the minds of his subordinates. "In either case, it is suggested the fleet adopts a tight formation, and for VF patrols to increase in frequency," he added, turning to the Captain of the Melody, their primary carrier. "I take it such precautions are possible to put in effect?"

Captain Barry bowed his head respectfully, but kept his eyes on the commander from beneath the brim of his cap. "Of course Sir. I have ten squadrons mobilised for full time patrols, awaiting the order to launch. Unfortunately, our rapid response has suffered with the destruction of catapult one, but it should be repaired by this afternoon," he reported, glancing at his constantly updated computer screen, displaying the status of the repairs. Commander Markham acknowledged his report with a nod, prompting Barry to dare ask him a question in return. "Sir, what about Siren?"

The commander stiffened slightly, making Barry almost immediately regret his action, but he held the other man's unflinching gaze until he answered.

"Siren is finally entering the final stages. I will admit we have been relatively lax with it in recent times, what with the lack of danger or indeed interest-"

Barry fought back a splutter. Since when was youth not into pop music? Heck, he'd heard in dispatches that demand on the Frontier had gotten so high they had to resort to using TWO idols to keep the ravening fans satisfied.

"-but that shall be rectified soon enough," assured Markham, running a hand through his short blonde hair, before turning his gaze back onto the gathering. "Anything else?" No one replied. "Then this meeting is finished. We shall meet again tomorrow as normal."

* * *

"Hmm, this one's cute, what do you think Kat?" asked Lou, twirling in the little black outfit she had chosen to wear for the competition. It was typical of her, black and gothic, leaving her midriff exposed. Little bat wings sprouted from her back, and she was wearing stockings decorated in red and black bands, with some golden jewellery as accessories.

Katsako tilted her head to the side, before shrugging. "Whatever you think is best," she said finally.

They were in Lou's room, preparing outfits for Lou's appearance at the song contest. Kat glanced about, still not quite at ease in the blonde's domain. Skulls seemed to dominate as decoration, with a lot of muted and dark colours surrounding her. Little skulls and crossbones were dotted about on items of discarded clothing and on her bedsheets, and the walls were painted a vivid red, as if blood had been used. The blue haired girl closed her eyes to fight off a wave of nausea. The violent clash of colours and general depressing atmosphere of the room really got to her, but it seemed to put Lou at ease.

Kat shook her head slightly. Her friend's tastes were so...bizarre. Goodness only knew what she would sing today, probably something loud and brash.

"Hey, you ok?" asked the blonde, kneeling in front of her and studying her face intently. "You've gone pale again. Wanna lie down for a bit?"

"N-no, I'm fine thanks," smiled the taller girl, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her pointed ear.

Lou didn't seem convinced, but chose not to pursue the issue. "Ok then, now as for your outfit-" she said with a glint in her eye, standing up and walking over to her wardrobe, nearly giving her friend a heart attack.

"W-what? B-but Lou, I'm not singing!" stammered Katsako, her eyes wide as she stared at her schoolmate rummaging around in her cupboard. She had a thing about performing – all those people, staring at her, judging her...that was a kind of pressure she simply could not deal with. Plus she hadn't sang before an audience before. Heck she only sang in the shower sometimes, and even then it was so quiet it was nearly silent.

Her friend turned around and grinned cat like at her. "Ohohohoho, come on now Princess, if you never try you never know!" she declared sneakily, throwing some clothes at her.

Katsako caught them and stared down, surprised. They were white. That meant they weren't Lou's which meant...

"You planned this?" screeched the blue haired girl in shock, holding up the two piece white outfit. It had soft white furs on the bottom of the laced top and on the ends of the sleeves, and on top of the strange trousers that seemed to have had a skirt attached on top.

"Yep," replied Lou slyly. "Now let's get you changed!" she cried, pouncing upon her friend.

* * *

Jack stretched his neck until he felt it click, sighing in contentment. He grinned as he hopped from one foot to the other, shaking his limbs off before beginning to jog home.

The muted natural tones of the park brushed past him, the gravel crunching in a satisfying way beneath his trainers. His breath came in slow steady pants, a fine sweat forming on his brow. The boy couldn't help but grin – morning exercises always put him in a good mood. Now and again he'd pass a person on their way through the park, and he made sure to avoid colliding with them. His grey tracksuit was becoming rather warm, so he paused next to a water fountain long enough to take a good long drink before resuming his journey home.

Unlike Clyde, he wasn't worried senseless by the essay due to be handed in on the coming Monday. Jack had books on history to spare, and despite what people would believe, he wasn't simply a sport addicted, flirtatious military grunt. To pilot VFs one had to have a specific mental aptitude, and he would be damned if he didn't qualify!

There was a pleasant breeze blowing, scheduled to stop at about midday, and during early evening a light rain was planned to occur. With the variety of outdoor activities he did, Jack had fallen into the habit of memorising the weather reports early on in his life. Plus it was the kind of knowledge that allowed him to know when he had the best chance to take shelter in bus stops with cute girls.

He grinned fondly at the memories of all those encounters, losing concentration momentarily and thwacking into a lamppost. Cursing bitterly he rubbed his stinging face as he picked himself up off the ground, wiping the dirt off his trousers. The brown haired boy glared at the lamppost as if it had insulted him, and then sighed. He kinda deserved that for not keeping his mind on important matters such as paying attention where he was going.

A faint roar drew his attention skywards, and he could make out three small specks in V formation, trailing coloured smoke as they wrote THE SEARCH FOR STATION'S IDOL BEGINS in solid yet attractive lettering. Jack held back a sigh at the sight of the Station military being forced to perform public relation stunts like this, adversing some hyped up talent contest. Then again, such contests tended to draw in large crowds of cute girls wishing to make it, and sometimes they'd wear some pretty exciting outfits...

The boy grinned as he began to sprint home. He had to get a shower and some nice clothes ready!

* * *

Clyde threw up his arms in frustration and screamed. This was IMPOSSIBLE. He'd woken up early, firmly set on the notion of completing at significant portion of the essay.

That had been three hours ago, and he only had seven thousand words on the document being displayed on his computer screen. And it already contained all his knowledge on Ancient Merica. The blonde looked over the paltry few books on history he owned (three) and groaned as he buried his face in his hands. This essay was rapidly developing into some sort of divine punishment, stretching his capacity for thought as he desperately tried to add in more words and information, things he simply did not have.

With another cry of despair, he leaned back in his chair, staring forlornly at the ceiling until it tipped over. The noise was sufficiently loud to bring his father scurrying up the stairs to poke his head into the room, his long blonde bangs covering his right eye as he peered in. "You alright here? Not doing anything indecent with your plants are you?" he joked, smiling in the manner only a self-satisfied father could.

Clyde glared at him, beet red. "DAMMIT DAD! I ain't into that kinda stuff!" he protested, grabbing the nearest thing that could be hurled. All of a sudden his snickering father was nailed in the face by an alarm clock and tumbled out of sight, the door snapping shut neatly behind him.

The boy sighed as he stood up, running a hand through his long blonde hair. He glared at his desk as if that would cow the essay into writing itself, but unfortunately, no such luck. Giving up on his one-sided staring contest with a computer screen, Clyde began to pace around his room, considering his homework dilemma. With no clock to show the passage of time (it was probably still lodged in his father's face) the boy didn't know how long he paced before he reached a conclusion. He lacked information to put into his essay, ergo he needed more. Unfortunately his access to the Station Network was currently off-line after Jack spilled fizzy drink over the router. Which meant a trip to the library.

His shoulders sagged slightly in dejection as he returned to his desk, saved the document, turned off the power and collected his phone, keys, wallet and some spare change before heading off, stepping over the unconscious form of his father on his way out. His face was covered by the alarm clock he had thrown earlier.

* * *

"Argh, what a fool of a father," muttered the blonde to himself as he walked down the boulevard of the shopping district, rubbing the tiredness from his eyes. There was a cool breeze blowing, causing Clyde to sniff. Great, that was all he needed right now, a damn cold. Glowering darkly he tramped on down the pavement, people parting before him.

"Yeah, I like plants, so what? They're important! They give us oxygen for one, and maintain the ecology of the colony," continued the boy, talking to himself. And he knew he was right. Keep your VFs and pop idols, they paled in comparison to a fully developed ecosystem. That was what made colonisation possible, which meant that it was thanks to them he was here, this far from earth, heading off into parts unknown. True it didn't particularly thrill him like most others his age, but Claude had often remarked how "down to earth" his son was.

But to insinuate he was...that...interested in plants, was going too far. Grinding his teeth together Clyde squashed the urge to fall to his knees and screech angrily at the magnificent blue sky. He liked girls alright? Ok, he didn't really talk to any on a regular basis, but when in the regular company of Jack, one was luck to have the attention of any girl for more than a minute. Shoving his hands into his pockets and his thoughts into the farthest corner of his mind, the blonde stepped around the corner-

WHAM

-and stepped back as he walked into something. Clyde blinked in surprise and glanced down, noticing a girl on the ground, obviously having fallen from running into him. She was wearing a heavy grey coat, which even he had to admit was doing her no favours.

"Sorry," he said, offering her his hand. She looked up at him, her blue hair parting to reveal her soft red eyes as they gazed up at him. Clyde bit down on his tongue to avoid losing himself as she took his hand with a small, uncertain smile and stood up with his help.

"Thanks," said the girl, bowing her head politely.

The blonde rubbed the back of his head as he grinned sheepishly. "Heh, no problem, it was my fault you fell after all, right Katsako?"

Her head snapped up at the mention of her name, her eyes momentarily widening. "How do you know me?"

Clyde held back a dejected sigh, still grinning as he pointed at himself. "Ah you probably ain't noticed me, I'm Clyde Metro, I'm in your class for biology," he explained, holding back the hurt from his voice. True it was unlikely she had noticed him (its not like he drew attention to himself) but it was still a bit damaging for his ego to essentially not exist as far as some people were concerned.

Kat meanwhile was having a major guilt trip. The quiet blonde boy from class, who sat in the corner and did his work, all the time having to listen to Jack prattle on about something or other – how could she have not remembered him? It was insulting after sharing a class for what now, two years?

"Hey, Kat! Don't just run off, alright? Oh, hiya Clyde!" greet Lou, running up to the pair from the direction Katsako had come running. She was slightly flushed from the run, but smiled at the pair. "How are you?"

The blonde shrugged. "I'm good thanks, but what's with the running?" he asked, turning his head to Kat, who looked up at him, startled out of her thoughts.

The blue haired girl lowered her head until her bangs covered her eyes, twiddling her fingers. "Um, it's...well..."

Lou stepped in before she could come up with some kind of probable excuse. "Oh, we're just heading for the Station Song Contest! We wanted to be early so we were rushing, right Kat?" explained the blonde, patting her friend on the back encouragingly. The blue haired girl mumbled an affirmative, hugging her coat tighter against herself, not meeting Clyde's gaze.

He blinked in surprise as he looked from one girl to the other, one all cheery and enthusiastic, the other looking as if she was pretty much going to die from embarrassment. "Oh! Sounds nice!" he said, smiling in what he hoped came across as an encouraging way. "Hope you win," he added quickly.

Kat seemed to glow red, whilst Lou grinned in a predatory way all of a sudden. "Hey, what you doing today anyways?"

That question caught Clyde off guard. Despite hanging around with Jack he didn't really have any experience with girls. "Um, just going to the library to get some history books and working on an essay from school," he answered honestly.

"BORING!" declared Lou imperiously, pointing at Clyde. "Instead, you'll accompany us and cheer us on from the crowd!"

"WHAT?" chorused Clyde and Kat, staring at her in horror.

"Of course, it'll be fun! You get to see Kat in a nice little outfit I picked out for her AND hear her sing, whilst she sings to you as an apology for running into you!" explained Lou, growing more animated as the idea took root in her mind. She grabbed both teens on the arms and joyously dragged them off to the arena where the performances were scheduled to be held.

* * *

Clanging, buzzing, screeching, shouting.

That was what reigned on the hangar deck of the Melody, as technicians worked tirelessly to repair the damage caused by the surprise attack. It had taken them over an hour to actually seal up the breech and pump atmosphere back into the deck, and now work was being carried out on the catapult itself and the various damages the deck itself had suffered.

Peten sighed as he rubbed his eyes, leaning against the bulk of his VF and watching the work being carried out, staying out of everybody's way. Next to him Masayoshi was sitting cross-legged on the floor, scribbling all the recent events in his journal. The man's obsession with bookkeeping was almost scary to Peten. In the distance, idly working on his factory standard VF (it didn't even have any paint on it, not even the standard little emblems pilots added to their machines to denote ownership) was Howell.

"Well, at least we don't have to partake in the patrols," said Masayoshi as a way of starting a conversation, the figurative silence beginning to get to him.

Peten nodded, watching a squad of squabbling engineers carry a heavy support beam past. "True, but still, I'm worried."

"Oh?" asked the black haired youth, glancing up at him.

"The long range strike ability which did this in the first place," continued the man, waving his hand over the repair work, "that one craft managing to reach the ship and locate the bridge. It was only luck that Howell was there to beat it back."

Masayoshi nodded in understanding. "They knew what they were doing, and had some kind of support. Is that what you mean?"

"Scavengers never found any long range weaponry on the wrecks of the two fighters that got destroyed, so a sniper is not out of the question. The strike directly at the bridge of the ship makes sense only if they had nowhere to retreat to, but they did, so why attack when they immediately could see that the fleet would overpower them?"

The younger man seemed to think on this for a while. "To see our response?"

The red head nodded. "Yes. How resistant the catapults were, location of defence turrets and emplacements, layout of the ship, and the make of our fighters. If the squadron did come from the Eternus, there's every chance their information is out of date, and they sent a recon flight if they detected us, or we simply came across a patrol."

There was a cry as a chunk of debris smashed into the floor, sending a slight tremor through the deck. The two conversing pilots ignored it.

"So what now?" asked Masayoshi.

"We can only continue as we were with increased precautions. They've got the advantage as until they do something again, we have no other choice but to go on."

That was when there came a call over their communicators. Both pilots looked at each other before getting them out, Masayoshi reaching into his pocket and Peten clambering up to his VF's cockpit.

"Yes?" they answered at the same time somehow. There was a momentary silence before they snapped them shut in unison and shared a look.

"Got the same message?" asked Masayhosi, standing up.

"Yep," replied Peten, hopping down from his craft to join his wingman. "Trust Barry to cut our R&R period short," he grinned.

* * *

Clyde looked over the books on display, now and again taking one off the shelf and glancing through its contents as he searched for one that would be able to help him with his assignment. He'd managed to convince Lou to let him stop here to at least get something out of today's trip in exchange for accompanying them to the damned contest.

It's not like he didn't like music, its just that he heard enough of it over the radio, and never really felt the need to go watch people singing. It didn't really "do it" for him. He placed the book in his hands back on the shelf and picked out another one, and after four pages knew he potentially had something that would really help him out. The blonde turned to head to the counter to purchase it, but instead was confronted by Lou.

He cringed as he raised up the book like a shield. "Ok, ok! I got it already, let me just buy it and we can go!" Clyde made to walk past her but she stopped him with an outstretched hand.

"It's not that," she said quietly. "It's just...look, sorry for dragging you along like this, but I couldn't let the chance pass."

Clyde tilted his head quizzically.

Lou sighed as she explained. "Look, you know Katsako from class right? What's she like?"

The blonde boy pondered the question for a moment. "Really quiet, brilliant student...that's about it really," he finished lamely.

The girl in front of him nodded as if he had confirmed her suspicions. "Yeah, she is like that, not really talking to anyone but me. So I sorta want to change that, understand?"

Clyde blinked as a thought hit him. "So you're trying to get her to spend time around others to what, build up her confidence? If you're taking her to a singing contest isn't that a bit...overkill?"

Lou shook her head. "No, trust me, she needs this. Thing is I couldn't get a good enough excuse for a boy to go with us," she explained, glancing outside where Katsako was waiting. "And yes, I know Jack would have leapt at the opportunity, but he's too loud and forward – he'd terrify her."

The boy nodded in slight understanding.

"So can I count on you?"

Clyde looked outside, where Kat stood looking rather forlorn and bit back a sigh. "Fine, fine!" he whispered to Lou. "Anything in particular I'm meant to do?"

"Um, don't be too forward, don't scare her, and just be nice," said the girl, ticking the things off on her fingers.

"Urgh ok I'll do what I can."

"Thanks!" grinned Lou cheerily, taking the book from his hands and whirling off towards the counter. "In return, I'll buy this for you!"

"H-hey, wait, you cant'!" yelped Clyde.

* * *

Back outside, the trio continued to head for the stadium, only now at a more leisurely walking pace. In his hand, Clyde held a bag containing the book Lou had gotten him despite his protests. The girl had been adamant, and he knew better than to get into an argument with a member of the debating club, so he'd let it go.

The streets were busy now with people coming and going, enjoying their weekends or grumbling about having to work during them. Slightly in front of Clyde, Lou and Kat were quietly conversing.

"Seriously, don't worry, it happens," said the blonde, her friend still looking dejected.

"But to not even know a member of my own class? That's unforgivable!" replied Katsako, deeply ashamed. She normally had very good memory, so such a little detail preyed upon her mind mercilessly.

Lou sighed slightly. "Look, I've taken care of that for you already. You sing as an apology and that's it."

"B-but..."

"No buts! You will get up on that stage, serenade him, and go home feeling a lot better than you did when you left it, understood?" said the blonde, smiling and winking at her schoolmate.

Katsako looked away. "But there'll be so many people watching..."

"None of them now you though, so they won't remember you, see? Even if you do badly, you won't be the only one and no one will remember after a week," explained Lou, patting her friend on the shoulder as they continued walking.

The blue haired part zentrandi girl looked at the blonde and smiled weakly. "T-true...thanks Lou."

"Hey, that's what friends are for right?" grinned the girl. "And besides, you're actually hanging out with a guy, that's definitively an improvement!"

Immediately Kat glowed red again. Lou facepalmed.

"Look, Clyde's a nice guy. Sure he quiet and sometimes a bit weird what with his love of plants, but I think he'd be a good boyfriend for you."

Kat let out a strangled squeak at the mention of the word "boyfriend".

"I meant male friend!" Lou corrected quickly, and sighed as she saw Katsako visibly calm down. "Anyway, with this you'll be taking a big step forward, right?"

Katsako nodded slightly. "R-Right."

"Everything ok?" asked a concerned Clyde from behind them, having watched, but not heard, the previous exchange.

"Yeah, sure," replied Lou smiling brightly. She turned to Katsako and winked. "Good luck now," said the girl, waving her arm over the entrance of the stadium they had arrived at.

The blue haired girl gulped as she looked at the imposing double doors leading inside, feeling her knees shake. Then she felt Clyde put his hand on her shoulder and give her a gentle squeeze. She turned to face him.

"You can do it," he said with a nod towards the entrance as he removed his hand, giving her an encouraging smile.

She looked back at the entrance, and grit her teeth as she stepped forwards and began slowly walking, Clyde following with Lou, who was silently cheering and shaking the boy's hand frantically for his help.

* * *

**A/N:** And here's chapter two for you all! Whilst Macross is a fun series, I still can't help but have fun with throwing in a wider variety of music. Let's see what that brings about eh?


End file.
